Friday, January 17, 2014

Losing weight & Getting fit: My advice, what I did and how I remain motivated

In previous posts I had mentioned about my weight loss and how I was trying to stay fit. It all began last year during late February when I decided to make this change for myself and no one else. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I was going to have to find a way to remain motivated and remain dedicated to my decision. For those who are wondering if I kept my word, I sure did. And I am so proud of myself for it. Next month will be an entire year that I've been working out eating healthy and trying little by little to inspire those that want to make a change, that it is possible. I've seen and heard way too many times, "working out starting today," or "New year new me gonna start going to the gym to lose weight," and 90% of the time these people #fail. Don't keep their word, don't remain motivated. They're more about the talk the talk then walk the walk. I'll admit I'm a tough cookie sometimes, I can talk a lot smack and be more blunt than I should be. Sometimes it hurts people's feelings sometimes they take my advice. But I do keep my mouth shut sometimes only because I know that if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all.

A few tips to keep yourself motivated is to keep a calendar on your wall. Each day that you work out mark it down and how long you did your workout for. This helped me a lot because at times when I noticed a 2 day gap where I skipped my workouts I end up feeling guilty for not working out so it motivates me to get back on track and continue to stay in shape. Another tip is if you have the space on that calendar, google some fit/motivation/workout quotes and write down one quote that stands out for that one month you are on. For example, for this month of January, I have up, "Anything and everything is possible," this here also motivates me everyday. I look at my calendar more than a few times a day and I read that quote to myself. It keeps me motivated and positive for my goal.

Another tip is with grocery shopping. I know this is the hardest part of eating healthy. Before leaving the house or if you go on your way after work or whatever, make a list of ONLY healthy foods. Many of you think eating a salad is the best way to eat the answer is NO.! Don't depend on salads too much. It won't help you trust me. A salad is good but not that great. One because you don't process lettuce. Instead of buying lettuce, buy spinach or romaine lettuce or even red leaf lettuce. But do your body a favor and skip the regular lettuce. Some great foods to add to your list is tomato, green/yellow/red bell peppers, asparagus, fresh mushrooms, carrots, celery and all the great veggies. As for fruits you can buy any fruit you'd like. I also recommend buying whole wheat with high fiber bread. If it's possible buy bread with flax seed in it. I usually buy mine at Fresh & Easy or Trader Joe's for the flax seed bread. Or at Walmart they have a high fiber whole wheat bread. I usually eat 2 toasted slices for my breakfast. You can add peanut butter or jam or both its up to you. I also stock up on oatmeal. You can find a box of 20 for under 3 bucks at Walmart. For meats I know it can be pricey sometimes with meat. So buy what you can. I like to buy the big packages of chicken legs & chicken breast and I separate them at home in zip lock bags and put them to freeze for a meal later in the week. I normally only eat 2 chicken legs for dinner. Which is marinated in either BBQ sauce or lemon pepper. No salt. And I only eat one chicken breast the same way as chicken leg. Or if you find a healthier sauce to use online go for it. I also eat tilapia. I bake them with spinach. Add a little bit of EVOO, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon before baking. So there are a lot of good things out there at the grocery store that you can buy. Skip all of that junk food you're used to. I now only drink water if you find it hard to drink plain water buy water enhancers like Mio. Which is sold at the .99 cents store. Speaking of the .99 cents store, there you can also buy your veggies and fruits.

Now you're probably wondering what kind of workouts I do. Well it's simple, Insanity workouts. I also do go to the gym once or twice a week on my 2 days off. I only run the treadmill at 4:00 A.M. for 25-30 minutes at a 4.5 speed. Go home, sleep and wake up again at 6 and do an Insanity workout DVD. When I don't go to the gym because I'm too sleepy (lol) I'll wake up at 6am and just do my Insanity workout. Which is far enough for the day. Running the track will slightly help you lose weight, but not as much. I used to think running would help me a lot but really it only gave me good looking calves and tighter thighs. Didn't really noticed a drastic change versus the change Insanity gives you. I also use a band to workout my arms and back. You can find those at Ross or Marshall's. I got mine at Sports Authority for $14.99. NOTE: The picture below is not me. It's a picture from the net. This is just a picture to show you the results of Insanity.

I hope these tips are useful to you or to anyone trying to lose weight and get fit. I had a lot of belly fat that I had to lose and trust me I didn't start noticing change until my 3rd month. So don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. It can be your body fat. I started off at 145 pounds and today I weigh at 122 pounds. I'm noticing a 4 pack forming, my legs are strong and so are my arms and shoulders. I lost a lot of belly fat and have a lot of muscle around my stomach now. Don't forget you also need protein. I am a natural weight loss person so I don't take any pills or drink any protein shakes. I get all my protein from the meats and foods I eat. If you need protein you have many options out there. I usually eat a protein bar like Luna bars those are enough for me. If anyone has any questions please feel free to email me at vzavala8@gmail.com. don't be afraid to ask questions. I'm an honest person when it comes to advice. I won't talk smack I promise lol. I'll be very straight forward with anyone with questions. Remember never give up, keep your head up, don't advertise your workouts or results on social media because if you work out and fail to keep up people are going to think you're a fail. Sometimes losing weight isn't for everyone. Just do your thing and when you're ready to show the world your awesome body show it off. I'll be showing mine off during the summer. So there's plenty of more time to get tighter.
Good luck all!

Valerie

My name is Valerie, 28 years young, Yorkie owner and a full-time Law enforcement officer. I love couponing and saving money just like anyone else would. I also spend after work hours reviewing for companies and things I buy on my blog. I love love LOVE fashion and makeup. I think staying up to date with the latest fashion is a must for me. I am a fitness bikini competitor with 5 shows under her belt. I have the desire to become an IFBB PRO.